Dave's Den

Favorite CDs of 2006

Here's a short list of my favorite CDs of 2006. As you can probably tell, I tend to be drawn to strong melodies and vocal harmonies- two things that are in short supply these days.

Cream of the Crop:

Jeremy Enigk - World Waits
Hands-down the best thing I've listened to in 2006. Heartfelt songwriting and swirling, soaring melodies make this an instant classic. It's a shame most folks will never hear about it.

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. - Solid State Warrior
This Japanese import is the best pure pop CD of the year. One listen, and you can see who was the main songwriting force behind Jellyfish in the early 1990s. In an alternate universe, the hook-laden "What You Don't Know About The Girl" would have been a mega-hit single.

Enjoyable even after repeated listenings:
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife
The Feeling - 12 Stops And Home
The Sleepy Jackson - Personality
Guster - Ganging Up on the Sun
Belle and Sebastian - The Life's Pursuit
The Beatles - Love

Guilty Pleasures:
Cheap Trick - Rockford
L.E.O. - Alpacas Orgling
Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster is Loose
Five For Fighting - Two Lights